


'tis the damn season

by rhettjmc



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Alternate Universe, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angry Sex, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blow Jobs, Drabble, Friends With Benefits, Happy Ending, Hopeful Ending, Idiots in Love, Infidelity, M/M, Rimming, Rough Sex, Shameless Smut, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:20:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28095309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhettjmc/pseuds/rhettjmc
Summary: After Link left Rhett over ten years ago, they still hook up every time Link comes home for the holidays - consequences be damned.
Relationships: Link Neal/Original Female Character(s), Rhett McLaughlin & Link Neal, Rhett McLaughlin/Link Neal
Comments: 11
Kudos: 57





	'tis the damn season

**Author's Note:**

> This is 100% a self-indulgent fic that I wrote whilst listening to Taylor's new album - there is a Lot of references to the song 'tis the damn season if you look up the lyrics and I make no apologies. 
> 
> Enjoy and please excuse the fact I accidentally wrote 3k words instead of my intended 1.5k hahaha oops

_We could call it even  
You could call me "babe" for the weekend  
'Tis the damn season, write this down  
I'm stayin' at my parents' house  
And the road not taken looks real good now  
Time flies, messy as the mud on your truck tires  
Now I'm missing your smile, hear me out  
We could just ride around  
And the road not taken looks real good now  
And it always leads to you and my hometown_

* * *

_‘I’m staying at my parents’ house’_ is the last thing Link should’ve texted to the person who he had moved across the country to avoid. 

But it was traditional, a seasonal affair that neither of them could give up just yet. 

‘ _Doors unlocked’_ The response read, almost instantly. 

Link sighed, second-guessing his decision momentarily, before pulling on a hoodie and slipping his phone back into his pocket. One last time wouldn’t hurt, right? 

“I’m goin’ to catch up with Gregg, Mama, I’ll probably crash on his couch” Link said nonchalantly, his mother looked at him questionably as he slipped on his shoes, overnight bag by his feet. She simply hummed in response, perhaps not completely buying her son’s lie. 

Link settled into his car, blasting the fans to clear the fog from his windshield. It always felt so cold whenever he was back home for the holidays, perhaps he had adjusted to his life in LA more than he thought he had - it made sense, he had been gone for over ten years after all. 

He drove the familiar route, one he had rehearsed every single year he came home for Christmas - no matter what changed in his life, this was constant. As immoral as it was, as unfair as it was, as painful as it was, Link always came back for more. His heart clenched, as it always did, as he drove past the church they’d attended as kids, the whole damn reason he drove Rhett away in the first place. Memories of giggling in the pews, Rhett squeezing his hand where it couldn’t be seen and making doe-eyes at each other when their families finally separated them after they’d laughed too loudly one day still haunted Link whenever he drove past the lifeless building, the parking lot the very place he had ended things when they were newly graduated, saying he couldn’t keep hiding it - the guilt was too much, the voices were too much. He was a coward, he knew that, nothing else should’ve mattered apart from Rhett, but Link had far too much pride to admit that. He just wanted to be normal. So, he got in his car and left, moving across the country to pursue a new life without the man he had spent 18 years building a different one with. He’d never forget the look on Rhett’s face as he watched him leave.

He also passed the school that used to be theirs, where this whole mess had started back in first grade. From the moment they were sat next to each other they’d been joined at the hip, spending every weekend tucked up in each other's bedrooms, exploring the woods, swimming in the river - it didn’t matter, as long as they did it together. They spent countless weekends in Rhett's truck, skidding over the mud, screeching and laughing in delight as they slid around tight corners. Link missed his smile so damn much, he would do anything to just ride around in Rhett's truck again with not a care in the world. 

The pain of the holidays always lingered long after he back to LA, back to whoever was his girlfriend at the time, desperately trying to forget how he’d spent the weekend fucking the person he knew was the love of his life - only to repress it until December came back around. He’d never been good at keeping relationships, he’d had about 15 different girlfriends since moving to LA, hoping that one of them could make him forget what he had left back home. He hadn’t been so lucky yet. 

He pulled up into the driveway, throwing his overnight bag over his shoulder and locking his car, trudging up the sleet-covered driveway. He let himself in as always, toeing off his shoes and leaving them in his usual spot. 

“Rhett?” Link called, creeping up the stairs to where he assumed the other man would be, wincing as their graduation photo still hung in the hallway.

“In here” The familiar voice called from the bedroom. Link padded across to the door, gently clicking it open and peeking inside. He spotted Rhett bent over, folding away his laundry neatly into the dresser, his hair falling wildly over his face. He’d told Link last year that he wanted to grow out his hair, it looked _good._

_“_ You did it, then?” Link asked quietly, stepping further into the room and clicking the door shut behind him. 

“Hm?” Rhett hummed, not really paying attention as he put the last of his laundry away. 

“Your hair” Link said softly, stepping towards him. 

“Oh, yeah” Rhett smiled weakly, tucking a strand behind his ear before straightening up. 

“I know you’re not here to talk about that, let's skip the small talk” Rhett sighed after a few moments of silence, staring at Link. Something about Rhett was different today, he seemed distant and empty, like Link had already managed to suck the life out of him. But, Link was too much of a coward to ask, so he swallowed the words down, instead, surging at Rhett, forcefully pressing his lips against Rhett’s. 

Rhett instantly responded, his hands curling into Link’s hair, holding him flush to his own body as Link opened up to him, kissing him deep and frantically. He forgot about his girl back in LA, he forgot about the past and how he’d broken something that still felt so _right_ , he just focused on Rhett and refamiliarising himself with the soft skin of his lover's mouth. Link scrambled for purchase against Rhett’s broad shoulders as the hand in his hair gripped tighter, pulling Link’s head back to open his mouth wider. Usually, Rhett didn’t initiate much, he usually let Link take what he needed and stayed mostly quiet - but today, today was different. Link couldn’t shake the feeling that this was goodbye. 

Rhett pushed Link backwards, his lips never leaving Link’s gasping mouth. Link felt the back of his knees hit the bed, sinking down until he was flat on his back, quickly covered by Rhett hovering over him, pinning him in place by his wrists. 

Rhett stared down at him, Link could almost hear the cogs turning in the taller man’s brain, his green eyes flickering with an ineligible emotion. It was almost too much to bear, this felt too close to love, too close to the look Rhett gave him on their first time together, hovering over Link’s scrawny body in college, whispering how much he adored Link, no matter what people said. 

“I-I have a girlfriend” Link stumbled over his words as they fell from his mouth, suddenly guilty - this wasn’t just a meaningless hookup she could forgive easily. 

“If I wanted to know, I would’ve asked” Rhett almost growled, tightening his grip on the wrists secured in his large palms. Link let out a breathy moan as Rhett pressed hot, wet kisses to his neck, sucking at the throbbing pulse point with vigour. Link writhed under Rhett’s hold as teeth sunk painfully into the sensitive skin of his neck, a little more forcefully than usual. 

“Watch it, you’re hurting me” Link snapped, involuntarily bucking his hips as Rhett only gripped his wrists tighter. 

“Hah…” Rhett snorted mockingly “… We can call it even” He spat back, tugging at Link’s hoodie and glasses, pulling them both off swiftly and dumping them on the floor. 

“Wh- Rhett, stop - Hurting you? How?” Link gasped as lips found his collarbone, a tongue dragging filthily through the dip of the bone.

“Just shut up, shut up” Rhett growled, ripping the t-shirt from Link’s chest and staring back at Link, his pupils blown wide and furious. 

Link knew he should stop this, they agreed they’d only keep fucking as long as it was still fun for them, a no strings attached thing whenever Link was back in town. This definitely wasn’t fun for Rhett, he was obviously hurting - but as sloppy kisses found Link’s stomach, he couldn’t bring himself to leave. 

“God… Rhett” Link moaned, his jeans quickly pulled down to his knees by warm hands, kisses littered over his thighs. Rhett sucked a dark bruise into the inside of Link’s thigh, lapping over it gently as it began to bloom a violent purple. Rhett rested his cheek on Link’s thigh for a moment, closing his eyes as he exhaled slowly. Link met his gaze as Rhett’s eyelids fluttered open slowly, the two of them sharing a soft look momentarily before Rhett was moving again, mouthing at Link’s cock through his boxers. Link whimpered blissfully, his hands reaching down to tangle in Rhett’s unruly hair as his boxers were thrown across the room. 

Rhett planted a kiss on his protruding hip bones, wrapping a loose fist around Link’s cock and giving him a few dry strokes. 

“Rhett... I- I missed-“ Link started, instantly cut off by Rhett sinking his mouth over Link’s cock, taking him as far as he could. “Fuck” Link whined, his fingers gripping Rhett’s hair tighter. 

Rhett slowly pulled his mouth off, looking up at Link with hooded eyes and sticky lips, before licking over the pulsing vein that ran from root to tip, swirling his tongue over the tip. 

Link ignored the voice in his head that reminded him it never felt like this with anyone else, he furiously blinked back tears as Rhett took him back into his mouth, gagging on Link’s cock as the blunt head hit the back of his throat. Rhett looked up at him with streaming eyes, continuing to work Link’s cock with his tongue and hand around the base, moaning softly around the body he knew so well. 

“Stop… I’m g-gonna cum” Link stuttered, his legs seizing up with pleasure as the familiar heat in his stomach burned his insides. Rhett pulled off slowly, an obscene noise filling the room as his lips left the spit-slicked cock. 

“Still so easy for me, Neal” Rhett tutted, climbing back over Link’s frame, bracketing his head with his arms. 

“Shut up” Link huffed, his face flushed crimson. Rhett leaned down slowly, kissing the corner of Link’s mouth softly, causing Link to tilt his head and brush their lips together tentatively. 

“You’re a coward, Link” Rhett whispered, his thumb brushing over Link’s swollen bottom lip. Link swallowed thickly, turning his head to the side, he couldn’t bear to look at Rhett right now. But Rhett knew Link better than he knew himself, he wouldn’t let Link get away with avoiding this again. Rhett grabbed his chin, pulling his head back to meet Rhett’s eyes. 

“I know” Link croaked “I know” 

“We could’ve had something so good” Rhett said, hushed tones against Link’s mouth. 

“I know” 

“I just want you to be mine” Rhett admitted, his hand releasing Link’s chin and stroking his fingertips over the smaller man’s cheek. 

“I’ll be yours for the weekend” Link whispered, his hand coming up to rest over Rhett’s.

“That’s not enough for me, you know it’s not” Rhett replied, his voice wet as he pulled his own shirt over his head, kicking off his sweatpants in the process. 

“It has to be” Link sighed, running his trembling palms over the soft skin of Rhett’s chest. 

Rhett huffed quietly, silently sliding back down Link’s body, nestling himself in-between the open legs. Despite the interlude, Link was still painfully hard, his cock hot and heavy against his stomach. Rhett tried to hide his smug smile as a tiny pool of pre-cum sat on Link’s stomach, glistening on his sweaty skin. 

Rhett laid flat on his stomach, feet dangling over the edge as he shuffled into place, pressing a kiss to the crease of Link’s upper thigh, slowly edging his way across until he met the tight ring of muscle. He licked over the twitching entrance slowly, his tongue flat and wet, causing Link to mumble out a string of curses, gripping the sheets. 

“Good, Neal?” Rhett asked dumbly, quickly returning his attention back to his task, lapping over the salty skin messily as Link fell apart under his tongue. 

“S-so good” Link whined, his fists twisted in the sheets. 

“Let me hear you” Rhett mumbled into Link’s skin, bringing his ring finger up to tease at the smaller man's hole, spreading saliva around as Rhett continued to use his tongue expertly. Link cried out, garbled sentences tumbled out of his mouth as one of Rhett’s large fingers sunk past the rim, quickly followed by the tip of Rhett’s tongue. 

“Oh... Oh fuck, babe, fuck!” Link cried out again, writhing on Rhett’s thick finger as it reached his final knuckle. Link immediately froze, realising what he had said - they had a strict rule on no pet names in the bedroom, it unearthed too many painful memories. Rhett noticed too, pulling his mouth away to look up at Link, his mouth red and swollen. 

“S-sorry” Link whimpered, trying to grind down on Rhett’’s finger that was now motionless, but Rhett gripped his hip tightly, immobilising him. 

“What did you call me?” Rhett asked, his eyebrow quirking as the corner of his mouth tugged into a smirk. 

“B-babe, I’m sorry, it just felt so good” Link flushed with embarrassment, turning his face to bury it into the soft pillows. 

“You can call me babe, for the weekend” Rhett mocked, his voice low and thick with lust as he echoed the phrase Link had used earlier, grinning cruelly.

“Please, babe, please” Link whined, trying to grind against Rhett’s finger again as he cock dribbled more sticky liquid over his torso. 

“Get the lube” Rhett ordered, burying his face back between Link’s thighs, pumping his finger and lapping over the stretched hole, sliding his tongue alongside his finger. Link trembled as he reached over to the bedside cabinet, fishing around in the drawer until he found the bottle, willing himself not to cum as Rhett slid another finger against his tongue. 

“You need more?” Rhett asked, pulling his mouth away but still slowly fucking Link with his fingers, crooking them slightly to press against the bundle of nerves. 

“I’m r-ready” Link panted, passing the lube and condom into Rhett’s spare hand as the taller man got onto his knees. Link watched, almost paralysed as Rhett tore open the foil packet with his teeth, slowly pulling his fingers out of Link to give himself a few slick strokes before rolling the condom on. Link watched as Rhett covered himself in lube, moaning softly as his own cock twitched in anticipation. 

“How do you want it?” Rhett asked him, leaning over Link to press a chaste kiss to his mouth, secretly enjoying the taste of himself on Rhett’s tongue.

“I want to see you” Link replied quietly, tucking a loose tendril of hair behind Rhett’s ear carefully without thinking. 

Rhett shuffled back into place, picking up both of Link’s legs with gentle hands and wrapping them around his waist as he lined himself up, pressing the head of his cock to Link’s hole. 

“Tell me if I need to stop” Rhett said softly like he did every single year, it was almost a Pavlovian response at this point, Link just nodded, pulling his bottom lip between his teeth, sucking in a breath as Rhett slowly sank into him. The burn was intense, but he loved it - he’d missed it.

“Breathe, baby, relax” Rhett reassured him, leaning down to chase the pain away with a gentle kiss to the mouth as he pushed further. 

“Rhett… Fuck” Link trembled, his legs tightening around Rhett’s waist as his hips finally met Link’s skin. 

“You’re so fucking tight” Rhett groaned, shallowly thrusting his hips as Link adjusted to the stretch, his hands clawing against Rhett’s shoulders desperately. 

“You can move” Link said breathlessly, his heart pounding against his ribs. Rhett didn’t need to be told twice, he pulled his cock almost entirely out before slamming back into Link, his hands pressing a bruising grip to Link’s hips. Link laid boneless as Rhett relentlessly fucked into him, unlike he ever had before - Link was moaning and crying and writhing, letting Rhett use him however he pleased.

“God, you’re so fucking good for me, Neal, fuck” Rhett growled, pulling Link’s legs up and over his shoulders, almost folding Link in half. Link cried out again at the new angle as Rhett pounded into him furiously, the blunt tip of his cock repeatedly pressing against his prostate unforgivably. 

“You love getting fucked like this, don’t you? It’s why you always come back to me” Rhett babbled as Link hooked his ankles tightly behind Rhett’s head, his head falling back against the bed as he nodded frantically, unable to speak. Rhett wrapped his fingers around Link’s exposed throat, squeezing the sides of his neck. 

“You know you’re mine, you always have been and always will be” Rhett whispered harshly, tightening his grip around Link’s throat until his vision started to blur - Link chased the feeling, unable to find it in himself to be embarrassed as he drooled over himself, eyes rolling back in pleasure. “You’re a fucking coward Link” Rhett told him again, loosening his grip slightly. 

“I know, fuck - Rhett, I love you, I’m sorry, please” Link sobbed, tugging the back of Rhett’s head harshly and pulling him into a desperate kiss as he hurtled towards coming untouched.

“ _You’re_ the one who walked away” Rhett cried back, pulling away from Link’s mouth as he continued to frantically fuck into him, tears collecting in the corners of his eyes.

“I know, God, I’m sorry… Please, I love you, I do” Link begged, his body trembling as his neglected cock shot thick ropes of cum over his stomach and Rhett’s chest, his back arching off of the bed as Rhett fucked him through his orgasm, pressing sloppy kisses to Link’s neck. Link fell back onto the bed, boneless and spent, overstimulated as Rhett chased his own release, burying his bearded face into Link’s neck as he came fiercely, panting against Link’s skin. 

They laid silently for a few moments, Rhett covering Link with his body as they caught their breath, before he carefully slid out of Link, pulling the condom off, tying it and throwing it into the trashcan. Rhett sat at the side of the bed, rubbing his hands over his face, still not talking to or looking at Link as he sighed heavily. 

“You should go” Rhett said finally, gathering his own clothes from the floor and tugging his sweatpants back on, his back to Link.

“What? Why? I always stay the night” Link asked, sitting up suddenly and fumbling for his own clothes. 

“Yeah, well, not this time” Rhett shot back, throwing Link’s shirt at him angrily. 

“Who's the coward now?” Link spat, pulling his clothes back on and turning to face Rhett.

“Still you, Link! Telling me you love me just to leave again, you’re a goddamn coward” Rhett hissed, his chest heaving again. 

“You think I want to go back to LA? and my so-called friends?” Link laughed humourlessly, his hands balling into tight fists. “You think I don’t break my own damn heart every time I leave? Because I know you’re the only person on this fucking Earth for me?” 

“So what are you waiting for? Me to beg you to stay? I’m past that now” Rhett snorted cruelly, wiping his eye furiously. 

“I’m going back to LA, I’ll end things with Kate, then I’ll come back to you” Link said easily like he should’ve done years ago. 

“Yeah, okay” Rhett scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief, Link knew he had delivered too many empty promises for Rhett to believe him anymore.

“I’m serious this time” Link replied firmly, staring Rhett down with sincerity - he was serious.

Rhett stared back at him in silence, his eyes glassy and vulnerable and _God_ did Link love him terribly.

“I won’t ask you to wait, if you don’t ask me to stay” Link whispered, breaking the silence between them as his voice wobbled. 

“Stay, Link, dammit” Rhett replied instantly, sighing with relief, extending his arms out for Link to sink into. 

_ It always leads to you and my _ hometown.

**Author's Note:**

> @rhettjmc on tumblr <3


End file.
